


"Say it With Flowers"

by fangirlingalchemist



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, Lots of flowers, M/M, awkward attempts at flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-04-24 06:01:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4908073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirlingalchemist/pseuds/fangirlingalchemist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When flowers begin appearing on Makoto's desk, his first thought is that he is being bullied by a juvenile. However, as time passes, he just can't seem to sense any malice in the delicate flowers given. Of course, that's just one of his problems, figuring out his feelings for a monosyllabic Souske is definitely more stressful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	"Say it With Flowers"

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first SouMako fic, so go easy on me :)  
> A little info: In Japan, putting flowers, well a vase of flowers anyway, on someone's desk is a well known tactic of bullies, as giving flowers like that is traditionally for funerals, as an offering for the dead etc. So... basically, it's a "You're dead" or "Die, Bitch" thing, usually, so it's not a recommended way to court someone XD  
> Also, if you can guess where I got my title/inspiration from, I love you and, by all means, feel free to chat me up :D

It started on an ordinary school morning, the flowers.

The afternoon before had been spent training with the Samezuka team. As team Captain, Makoto was anxious to make sure that everyone got along, especially with Rin's childhood friend, Souske. Knowing the "bad blood" between Haru and Souske, he took it upon himself to get to know the guy better.

It had at least been an _interesting_ conversation, to put it lightly, and the experience was still fresh in his mind as he walked to school. 

** _The previous afternoon_ **

"Umm, hi! Yamazaki-san! I was just wondering if you wanted to talk? What I mean- I'd like to talk with you so- could you? Um.. talk- that is. Not to say you can't talk. Haru-chan seems to think you have plenty to say- Oh sh.. _sorry_... Umm, can I start over?"

He chuckled nervously, "Hi! I'm Tachibana Makoto, Rin and Haru's friend. Umm, I was wondering... is it possible... for us all to just- get along.. maybe?" 

Makoto could almost slap himself, but he doubted that would help Souske with his impression of him. Instead, he settled for nervously running his hand up and down his neck, trying to relax the tension he could feel building up. He was sure he was grinning like an idiot, but he couldn't relax.

He felt more distracted than usual, probably just because he was desperate for the two teams to get along; though, the tall, attractive, brooding teen staring down at him wasn't helping his nerves. _Wait, attractive? Did I just find this whale of a male attractive?_  A nervous giggle passed through his lips as he muttered, "Whale of a male..." 

"Okay."

"Huh?" Distracted for a moment, Makoto looked up, only to gaze directly into the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. An incredible blue, almost like a tropical ocean, filled Makoto's mind and, for once, the thought of the open sea didn't fill him with dread. Souske also smelled really nice too, under the initial smell of chlorine, kind of floral... Coming to embarrassingly slowly, Makoto stuttered out his reply as his face flushed a light red. "Oh! That's.. that's good... ummm... What am I supposed to say?"

"I don't know, you're the one who wanted to talk." Though his voice was as monotone as usual, there was a slight smile on his face as he said it, making him light up, just a bit.

Sputtering for a moment, Makoto was at a loss for words. _If he's this hot right now, I think I'll die if he full on smiled._ Blinking, he said the first thing that came to mind. "I look forward to swimming with you, then!" With an awkward bounce and a wave of his hand, he quickly made his exist.

Sitting on a bench near the pool, he buried his face in his hands, groaning. He was absolutely mortified with the impression he must have left the other boy. It wasn't helped by the fact that Makoto realized that he was probably more than slightly attracted to the other male. He already knew his preferences, and his friends did too, but that didn't make it any easier for his frayed nerves. He sighed. This was clearly the beginning of a painful crush and he didn't know what to do.

Hearing a small sound, he looked up to see Souske, walking past the doorway. It was too quick to catch, but Makoto could swear he saw a small smile on that expressionless face as he passed by. 

** _The next morning_ **

Caught up in his embarrassing recollections, Makoto almost squashed the flower on his desk with his bag. He stared at it, startled.

There was a single red and white flower, on Makoto's desk. The first thought in his mind was "Not again" and "this is childish." Looking around for any suspects, but not finding any, he shrugged and gently placed it in his desk. If he remembered his botany correctly, it was called a "gloxinia" or something.

He never liked to cause trouble for anyone, so he decided to keep it secret from his friends and classmates. After all, if it _was_ bullying, as past experiences led him to assume, it was childishly done and he could take care of it on his own. Receiving flowers, albeit being in a presumably threatening context, just wasn't enough to rattle him to the point of troubling his friends. Besides, it smelled nice, and the petals were soft to the touch, so it was "no harm done," in his mind.

Taking it home with him out of instinct, somehow he couldn't bring himself to throw it away, and instead kept it on his desk.

**

The next morning, there were three camellias, pink, red and white. Excitement rushed through him, quickly dispelled by the fact that the flowers were supposed to be harbingers of ill will. Once again, however, he placed them gently in his desk, and, when the school day was over, he took them home with him.

Placing them next to the now wilting gloxinia, he remembered that hanging flowers upside-down was supposed to help them dry out and, therefore, not rot. Quickly, tying each one in a string, he hung them on his wall, still not entirely certain as to _why_ he was even doing it.

He remembered being bullied in elementary school, the vase of flowers on his desk, the trashed lockers, the teasing. The teachers never did anything about it. Though, that partly was how he became such good friends with Haru, so he figured that it was in the past. 

So, despite his past, he was actually looking forward to where this "bullying" would lead. He was an optimist after all, and, if it got out of hand, he could always tell Haru. Though he did t want to worry his friend, so it would be a last resort.

**

It continued like that for the next few weeks, every morning, Monday through Friday, there would be a new flower on his desk. He now had to press them into books, as he had run out of hanging space, and he still couldn't bring himself to throw any of them away.

It occurred to him that his bully was doing a piss poor job, as, some days, the flowers were the only  _good_  thing in his stressful life. From delicately braided chains of daisies and daffodils, to intricate bouquets with flowers he couldn't even name, every morning brought a new surprise and he couldn't help but come to the conclusion that he was not being bullied. If he was, he should be feeling awful, but then, maybe he was just weird.

After having received a intricately brained chain of red and yellow tulips, he decided that anything that made his stress go away, even for a brief moment, was fine with him, though he then found himself in a new dilemma. He now desperately wanted to meet the person. 

When he had thought it to be in malice, Makoto figured that ignoring the person was the best course of action, but now that he wasn't sure, he was determined to find out who it was. Though, he felt a bit sad at the thought of a girl trying so hard to gain his affection, when he wouldn't be able to reciprocate, or anyone, for that matter, really, as he probably didn't know them. It was hard to return affection to someone you've probably never met. 

When he found a potted cactus on his desk, he knew it was time to ask his friends for help. Though that would have to wait till after the joint practice. 

He sighed to himself. His crush on Souske made things ridiculously awkward for him, but still, his team could use the practice. 

**

So far, practices with the Samezuka team were going great. They all got along, mostly, and even Souske was starting to interact with them a bit more. Though, to be honest, Makoto's interactions with the taller boy were limited to general greetings, avoiding any real conversation in a desperate attempt to not make a fool of himself again. 

If Souske noticed, though, he kept it to himself, instead befriending the rest of the Iwatobi team, even somewhat faster than expected.

Nagisa seemed to like him well enough, always calling him "Sou-chan," but then, he gets along with everybody. Rei also got along with him, they seemed to have a "stoic silence" in common, though Souske was definitely much better at it. The most surprising turn around was Haru, though Makoto bet that all Rin had to do was tear up and Haru would do whatever he asked, so maybe it wasn't so surprising. 

For the rest of their "team" both Coach and Sensei liked him, thinking him "a fine young man" and "a good swimmer," so there were no problems there. As Gou knew Souske from their childhood years, it was only a matter of reacquainting themselves, though Souske being ridiculously good looking certainly helped.

Makoto couldn't help but feel occasionally jealous of how she was able to cling to him, practically drooling over him. He knew it was childish of him, but he couldn't help but wish he were a woman, in those times; then he could cling to Souske just like that. Then it'd be natural for him to want the muscled Adonis of a teen. Then maybe he could ask him out, hold his hand, feel his well defined muscles for himself, run his fingers through that perfect hair, gaze into those deep eyes and just... 

Makoto shook himself, looking away from where he had been staring at the swimmer from the corner of his eye, though, not before catching Souske looking right back at him. His face was as expressionless as ever, which didn't help Makoto's stress levels at all, as his mind could run free with assumptions as to Souske's probably negative opinion of him. 

A blush rising to his cheeks, he busied himself with whatever was in his hands- a towel- as he quickly left the room. He could deal with his feelings on his own, there was no need for Souske to find out.

He would probably freak out, and that would ruin all the previous weeks' work. He steeled himself: As team captain, he wouldn't let his personal feelings jeopardize the team's morale. After all, he already decided to trouble them with his "flower bully," so there was not need to make them worry on his behalf any more than that. 

Heading to the nearest bench, he sat down for a moment. His thoughts raced through his head, as he tried to make sense of it all.  _What am I even feeling? This "flower person" likes me, and I kinda like them, I guess, sorta, but I don't even know them! I'll feel bad if it's a chick, though it probably will be... Guys don't do nice things like this... Souske wouldn't, definitely. I mean, the guy probably doesn't even like me. I'm just Rin's friend, so he has to play nice. Liking Nagisa makes sense, he's likable, everyone likes him..._

He scowled at his feet.  _Liking Gou-chan is probably easy too.... A guy like that, definitely straight. He's probably got ten girlfriends...._ He started to feel nauseous with the anxiety and envy. 

Suddenly sensing a presence, he looked up to see Souske. He stared blankly at the boy in front of him.  _Fuck he's good looking. He's completely my type, aside from him being terrifying and awkward... Though that's pretty cute too...._

It took a few moments for him to register that he had been asked a question. "Oh! Sure, sit down!" Floundering a bit, he quickly settled into an awkward silence.  _What am I supposed to say? I wore out my small talk with him already!_ Before he could catch himself he blurted out, "Whale of a male!"

Flushing a deep red, he then stood up, almost running toward the locker room, leaving Souske to figure out what the hell he meant. 

**

That evening brought Haru, Nagisa and Rei to his room, which was covered in drying flowers and smelled like a garden. In a nervous manner, Makoto explained the situation.

His story was met with different reactions from his teammates. Nagisa was the most loud: reproaching Makoto for not saying anything, and expressing immense curiosity as to who this mystery "flower bully" was. Haru was silent mostly, as Nagisa was voicing all of his concerns for him, so he merely offered his support in finding the "flower bully." And maybe in making him some fried mackerel.

Having kept silent, Rei, with his usual flare, made one simple inquiry, "Do you know what the flowers mean?" 

Smirking at the clueless expressions on their faces, he then explained. "All flowers have a "meaning" to them. A "flower language" or so to speak. Like that Gloxina, you said it was the first, it  means "love at first sight" or something to that extent. In other words, by giving you these flowers, this person is saying they fell in love with you at first sight, and they are now attempting to court you...

I wonder who it is? I feel sorry for them, if they are female, but I suppose we'll just have to find out. Maybe if we stake out the classroom..."

Nagisa chimed in, then, loudly making plans to ambush the "flower person." 

"Wait!" They turned to Makoto, who was flushed a bright pink. "Can you tell me what the other flowers mean? And can you tell me which flowers to give them?"

"Mako-chan! You aren't going to encourage this, are you?" Nagisa's surprise echoed in his voice. "I'm so proud of you, doing something reckless for once!"

"No.... not like that, Nagisa... I just want to talk to them, before I actually meet them... I just... I think I might like them but... I don't even know them! I just don't want it to be over so soon.... These flowers were the highlight of my day and... "

Haru simply nodded at him, patting him in the shoulder. "I understand, Makoto. We'll help." Turning to Rei he then asked, "Could you tell us what this person is trying to say?"

Puffing up slightly, Rei adjusted his glasses, "Of course, Haru-sempai, my grandma was really into flowers, so I've read a lot about them. I should be able to translate." Then, going from first to last, he explained the meanings of all the flowers.

By the time he had finished, Makoto was uncomfortably flushed and hiding his face in embarrassment. All these declarations of love, and he had no idea! His composure wasn't helped by Nagisa's loud teasing, Haru's silent, calculating looks and Rei's own tone of embarrassment as he "translated" what was, more or less, a love letter. When Rei had finished, they all turned to Makoto, who was still blushing furiously.

"So, Mako-chan, what are you gonna do?" Nagisa was almost bouncing on the bed in excitement.

Hiding his face in his hands, Makoto mumbled out, "Which flower means, 'Yes?'"

**

The next morning, Makoto walked to school with a spring in his step and anticipation in his chest. Sure enough, there were the flowers, this time a sprig of mistletoe. He blushed. Even he could figure out what _that_ meant. Putting it away carefully, he proceeded with his school day. Before he left for practise, he pulled a single, solid red carnation out of his bag, laying it on the desk.

He was distracted all through the joint practice, which wasn't helped by him having suffered through a good five minuets of awkward conversation/silence with Souske, as they were the first to arrive. Despite trying his best to only focus on his swimming, he went home feeling more than slightly frustrated with himself.

He barely slept that night, his mind was in a whirl. When he arrived at school, the next day, he nearly ran to his desk, only to be met with nothing.

For the first time in weeks, there were no flowers. Disappointment washed over him as he sat down. Had he done something wrong? Was the person no longer interested? Were they injured? Had the flower been thrown away?

Reaching into his desk, for his textbook, he felt something foreign. Pulling it out slowly, he then held in his lap a single piece of paper, folded in half. 

Holding his breath, he unfolded it, revealing a single, white violet. On the paper was written, in clear, strong lettering: "Meet me here, at 8:30, tonight."  

Showing the flower to Rei only reconfirmed it, and he pressed it into the note gently, to be brought home later. Every break he would look at it, smiling to himself, despite the nervousness rising in his stomach. 

**

Sneaking into the school was easier than he thought, especially when he had the delinquent Nagisa to help him. He arrived at his desk at 8:20, then spent a good few minuets letting all of his fears take forefront in his mind.  _Fuck! What if they don't come? What if this is all some sick joke? What if it's someone I know? Someone I don't know? What if it's a teacher?! That would explain being able to get in so easy!......_

His train of thought was interrupted by steps heard coming down the corridor.  _Oh my god! Is it them? Wait, the lights are off! The street light is pretty bright but still! Could I recognize them?..._ He heard the footsteps stop,just in front of the door.

For a full five seconds, neither of them moved. The person was either contemplating running or was waiting on him.  _Am I supposed it do something?_

He eyed the note on his desk, and the sight of it, coupled with the meaning of that flower, helped him steel his nerves. Letting out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding he called out, in a shaky voice. "Who are you?"

"I really don't know how to reply to that..." A familiar voice responded as they entered the room. As they walked towards the desk, to stand in the faint light, Makoto clutched the desk.

"Sou-" His voice cracked and he swallowed roughly, his tongue sticking in his dry mouth. "Souske?" 

Stopping a few steps away, Souske shrugged nervously. "Yeah, surprise?" He glanced around, his usually expressionless face betraying his current agitation. "Umm, here!" He held out a single, red rose. "For you.... I, uh, couldn't decide what to get you so um..... yeah... sorry it's not very original but....... "

When Makoto remained silent, he started to get worried, his voice quivering. "I'm sorry I'm not a pretty girl, or even someone you like! I was worried about this before, but do you really hate me that much? I mean, you ignore me all the time, and you can't even be assed to speak to me like an equal! It's cute, but I can't understand you! Or do you think I'm lying? I swear this isn't some elaborate joke! I know this is weird, but I really do love you, Makoto..." His face was flushed pink, and his hands were shaking. A single petal fell from the rose, as the thorns began to pierce his skin. 

Makoto stood speechless, he would've never guessed that Souske could be so demonstrative, so emotional. He couldn't bring himself to speak, he was completely overwhelmed by the realization that Souske loved him. _Souske_ loved him. Souske loved  _him._   Souske _loved_ him. Souske... was leaving? He suddenly realized that he had said nothing.

A wave of guilt washing over him, and he darted forward, embracing Souske with all his might, as he willed his voice to work. He managed to breathe out a soft, "Gloxina."

Hearing Souske shudder out a sigh, he tightened his grip. He then felt Souske's arms wrap around him, and he pulled away slightly, to look into Souske's face. "Variegated tulips."

Souske's eyes widened, his mouth opening slightly in suprise. Reaching his hands to cup Souske's face Makoto whispered, "Red Tulips." Pulling Makoto even closer, Souske answered, "Red Camellia" then pressed their lips together.

The kiss was soft and gentle, their embrace tender and loving, as they stood there, for what felt like an eternity. Souske smelt like flowers and his hair was a soft to the touch as Makoto had imagined.

When they had run out of breath, Souske slowly broke away, placing gentle kisses on Makoto's face. Nuzzling their faces together, Makoto laughed breathlessly. "I love you so much, you flower person."

Freezing, Souske's breath tickled his ear as he whispered, "Say that again."

Makoto's smile became more of a grin as he asked, "Flower person?" 

Huffing with affectionate irritation, Souske leaned his head on Makoto's shoulder, "You know what I mean..."

Smiling as he held the taller boy close, Makoto whispered, "I love you, Souske." He could feel Souske grin into his shoulder as he replied, "White Violet."

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! If you haven't guessed by now, a lot of my inspiration came from the Horrible Histories sketch "Say it With Flowers" lol  
> Okay here's what the flowers mean, at least, to my google search:  
> Gloxina: Love at first sight  
> Single Full Bloom Rose: I Love You; I Still Love You  
> Camellia: Admiration; Perfection; Good Luck, Gift to a Man  
> Pink Camellia: Longing for You  
> Red Camellia: You're a Flame in My Heart  
> White Camellia: You're Adorable  
> Daffodil: Regard; Unrequited Love; You're the Only One; The Sun is Always Shining When I'm with You  
> Daisy: Innocence; Loyal Love; I'll Never Tell; Purity  
> Tulip General - Perfect Lover; Fame; Flower Emblem of Holland  
> Red Tulip: Believe Me; Declaration of Love  
> Variegated Tulip: Beautiful Eyes  
> Yellow Tulip: There's Sunshine in Your Smile  
> Cactus: I Really Love You (This is from HH, though, so idk if it's accurate)  
> Mistletoe: Kiss me; Affection; To Surmount Difficulties  
> General Carnation: Fascination; Divine Love  
> Red Carnation: My Heart Aches for You; Admiration  
> Solid Color Carnation: "Yes"  
> White Violet: Let's Take a Chance on Happiness 
> 
>  
> 
> Please kudos, and I love getting feedback from ya'lls. Now: On to the next challenge!


End file.
